There are songs that remind me of a person, a particular summer, or a late night conversation. And then there are songs that remind me of the cities I've been to. Like the song Aaj Kal Zindagi from Wake Up Sid reminds me of the time I spent in Chennai for my internship. Patakha Guddi was the song I played on loop during my solo trip to Kashmir. Desi Girl from Dostana takes me back to Kolkata, to the time I was blasting it in my friend’s room. But Gurgaon is a place that can't be reduced to one single song.
It has dusty roads and shiny buildings, crowded markets and empty highways, chai at a tapri and overpriced coffee in an aesthetic cafe. So naturally, its playlist cannot belong to just one genre either. So here are some songs that take me back to Gurgaon.
Ilahi from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.
This is for the Gurgaon that you see from a car window.
The song makes me think of driving down the expressway with the city changing around you. Tall buildings disappear behind you, open roads appear, and for a few minutes you forget how much traffic you complained about five minutes ago.
There is something about Gurgaon that makes you want to keep moving. Maybe it is the constant construction, the new cafés, the new offices, or simply the feeling that the city is never finished becoming something else.
Kho Gaye Hum Kahan from Baar Baar Dekho.
This is Gurgaon after 10 p.m.
The office crowd has gone home, but the city is still awake. Friends are sitting in cars outside cafe's, scrolling through their phones, talking about jobs, relationships, money and what they are supposed to be doing with their lives.
The song captures the quieter side of a city that is usually associated with ambition. Everyone here seems to be running towards something, but sometimes you wonder if anyone knows exactly where they are going.
Party On My Mind from Race 2.
This song is probably the most obvious Gurgaon choice. It reminds me of Friday nights when the city seems to switch personalities. Office clothes turn into party outfits and the traffic we despise somehow becomes part of the plan. Everyone heads towards a club, a rooftop or some late night food spot. The song feels like Gurgaon after dark,young, restless and plans that always turn into “one more place.”
And finally, there is Safarnama from Tamasha.
Not because Gurgaon feels peaceful, it absolutely does not, but because it reminds me of watching the city go by without really knowing what comes next.
Maybe that is what I like about Gurgaon. It is difficult to put into one song because it refuses to be one thing. It is loud and quiet, old and new, exhausting and exciting. It can frustrate you in the afternoon and make you want to go out again by evening.
So if someone asked me what Gurgaon sounds like, I wouldn't give them one song.
I'd give them a playlist.
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